Quartermasters can also fight the devils

The attacking forces of the 13th Division of the Japanese Army divided into two routes from Nuanshui Street and Liujiachang to Pijia Chong and Sanxikou, and launched a fierce attack on the defensive positions of the 43rd Division and the 121st Division of the Chinese government defenders. The attacking forces of the 13th Division of the Japanese Army took advantage of the advantage in artillery fire to smash the first-line defense positions of the Chinese defenders. With the support of a large amount of artillery fire, the attacking forces of the 13th Division of the Japanese Army also quickly broke through the first-line defense positions of the Chinese defenders, and advanced to Ziliangping and Renheping on the second day.

The 17th Independent Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army set out from Gong'an, and after repelling the guard troops of the New 23rd Division of the Chinese government in Wangjiachang, it attacked and advanced to the high ground area west of Gong'an. Then the 17th Independent Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army withdrew a part of its troops to confront the New 23rd Division of the Chinese defenders in Fanjia Mountain. The main force of the brigade pretended to attack Changde to cover the deployment of other offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army and ensure the safety of the southern wing of the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army.

On the morning of May 21, the Japanese 3rd Division and the Japanese 13th Division launched attacks from Chayuan Temple, Renheping and Guniuling respectively on the defensive positions of Wangjiafan and Zengjiaping where the 35th, 121st and 118th Divisions of the Chinese defenders were stationed.

After two days of fierce fighting, the attacking forces of the Japanese 3rd Division crossed the Yuyang River and successfully occupied Niejiahe and Moshi. The attacking forces of the Japanese 13th Division advanced to the south bank of the Yuyang River and occupied Yuyang Pass.

At the same time, the Yegou Detachment stationed in Zhijiang cooperated with the 29th Division of the Wang Puppet Army to capture Yidu. The 67th Division of the Huaxia government's garrison withdrew to the area north of Moshi. The 39th Division of the Japanese Army crossed the Yangtze River near Yunchi and advanced to the Wangjiapeng area without encountering any strong resistance.

From dawn on May 23, except for the Japanese Nogou Detachment that occupied Yidu and the puppet troops who remained in place for guarding, the Japanese 39th Division, the Japanese 3rd Division and the Japanese 13th Division all concentrated all their forces and launched a full-scale attack on the front line of defense of the Tenth Army of the Chinese Government and the Chinese Government Jiang Defense Army from the areas near Wangjiapeng, Moshi and Yuyangguan respectively.

The attacking forces of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army deployed their troops and launched a fierce attack on the defense line of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese Government. The Tenth Group of the Chinese Government had already suffered heavy casualties in the second phase of the battle of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army. This time, the attacking forces of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army launched another fierce attack. The casualties of the troops had reached an alarming level. As the casualties of officers and soldiers continued to increase, the combat effectiveness of the Tenth Army was weakened to the extreme by the Japanese Army.

Although the situation of the Chinese government's Jiang Defense Army was better than that of the Tenth Army, as the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army continued to increase the intensity of their attacks, the Jiang Defense Army also fought very fiercely with the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army.

The defense line of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese Government was under fierce attack from the offensive forces of the Japanese Eleventh Army. Although the Chinese Army units fought hard to block the attack of the offensive forces of the Japanese Eleventh Army, their combat effectiveness declined rapidly due to heavy casualties.

After holding out for three days under the attack of the Japanese 11th Army's offensive forces, the various troops on the defense line of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government were finally unable to withstand the attack and were forced to begin to move and retreat one by one.

On May 24, the attacking forces of the 39th Division of the Japanese Army arrived near Xiliuxi. The 3rd Division of the Japanese Army also captured Changyang according to the combat plan. The 13th Division of the Japanese Army also captured Zhenwan at the same time. All the troops of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army participating in the third phase of the Battle of Western Hubei arrived at the areas north and south of the Qingjiang River according to the combat plan formulated by the commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama.

At the same time, the Japanese 11th Army's Yedi Battalion, which controlled the Yichang area, also began to attack westward from the bridgehead area on the south bank of the Yangtze River in Yichang, preparing to cut off the Chinese army's retreat route to the north.

At this point, Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, successfully shifted the center of the battlefield to the area between Qingjiang and Shipai in accordance with the battle plan for the Battle of Western Hubei formulated before the war. The Jiang Defense Army of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese Government became the central focus of the entire Battle of Western Hubei.

On the other hand, the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government did not realize until this time that the main target of the battle launched by Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, was not Changde, but to attack the defense forces of the Sixth War Zone in western Hubei and open the road to the mountain city.

However, the new 22nd Army troops previously transferred from the 9th War Zone have arrived in Changde and began to prepare for defense in Changde. The 74th Army has also arrived in Taoyuan, and the vanguard of the 30th Army transferred from Xinye in Henan Province has reached Langshudian, and the main force is continuing to advance.

It can be said that the tactic of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west, used by Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, was really well played, and he fooled the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government very clearly. Due to the misjudgment of the ultimate combat objective of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, the Sixth War Zone Command's two main forces, the New 22nd Army and the 74th Army, were placed near Changde and could do nothing when the battle was in full swing.

After understanding the ultimate goal of the battle of the Japanese 11th Army Commander Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, Commander Chen of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese government ordered the Sixth War Zone Command to formulate a counterattack plan, preparing to launch an effective counterattack against the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army when the troops of the Japanese 11th Army completed their mission and retreated, in order to vent their anger.

That is, on the day when the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese Government began to formulate a counterattack plan, the commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, once again deployed the participating forces of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army. Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, was ready to order the offensive forces of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army to continue pursuing the Chinese Government's River Defense Army from Shipai to Muqiaoxi, and strive to capture the River Defense Army of the Sixth War Zone of the Chinese Government and surround it in the mountains west of Yichang for complete destruction.

Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, ordered the 3rd Division of the Japanese Army to pursue the enemy towards Baotongshu via the west side of Qianniu Ridge, and ordered the offensive force of the 13th Division of the Japanese Army to pursue the enemy towards Muqiaoxi after destroying the Chinese army in Zhoujiakou. He also ordered the 39th Division to unify the command of the Nochi Detachment to pursue the enemy towards the vicinity of Dazhujiaping.

However, this time the fierce attack by the various offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army did not achieve the expected rapid breakthrough due to the desperate resistance of the Jiang Defense Army. Although the offensive forces of the Japanese 11th Army launched consecutive attacks on the various defensive positions of the Jiang Defense Army, the effect of the advancement was indeed very unsatisfactory.